As the computing power of mobile end-user devices has increased, mobile devices have become capable of sending and receiving increasing amounts of data. In addition to e-mail and text messages, many of today's mobile devices can support a variety of applications that send large quantities of information to and from end users. For example, in addition to sending e-mail and text messages, many of today's mobile devices can deliver news, weather, sports, maps, social networking information, music, videos, high-resolution photographs, documents, presentations, and other kinds of information.
The ability of mobile devices to send and receive such a wide variety and large quantity of data has stressed wireless access network bandwidth capabilities. As a result, network operators are either eliminating service plans with unlimited data usage, or they are increasing the price of unlimited service plans so that such plans are not attractive to most consumers. Consequently, many users of mobile end-user devices subscribe to service plans that include only a limited amount of data per fixed time period (e.g., per month). Because today's mobile end-user devices can access (e.g., send or receive) large amounts of information, there is a potential for a user of a mobile device to exceed his or her data plan allowance without realizing it. It is well known that such “overages” in data usage can be very expensive because the billing rate for data usage exceeding the contracted service plan amount is often significantly higher than the billing rate under the service plan.
Because of their computing capabilities, many of today's mobile end-user devices can also participate in the implementation and enforcement of service policies associated with access network service plans, such as charging, control, and notification policies. Device-assisted services (DAS) have been described in the many prior applications listed in the “Cross Reference to Related Applications” section of this document. When end-user devices participate in implementing and enforcing access network policies, there is a potential for device users to attempt to, or to successfully, spoof or hack end-user device components to fraudulently obtain access to data services at incorrect, lower service usage billing rates. Likewise, highly motivated users might try to gain access to network elements that perform functions related to service policy implementation or enforcement associated with the end-user device's data usage.
Thus, there is a need to secure software and hardware, in both end-user devices and in network elements, involved in the provision of device-assisted services. In addition, there is a need to detect and mitigate fraudulent or potentially fraudulent activities.